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stuttered in his chest. It hadn t even occurred to him what he d said
until Yuri pointed it out. But looking inside his mind, he saw the
truth. He did love them. All of them. They were each special and
wonderful and perfect men.
 That statement includes you, Yuri, Madigan said softly. Yuri
looked taken aback for a moment before he slowly nodded, a soft
40 Jana Downs
smile flirting with his lips.  I do love you all. How could I not? They
pushed themselves back from the table at the same time, making
Madigan jump.  What? he squeaked. They put their middle and
pointer fingers on their tattoos from their wedding. Heat instantly
speared him at the gesture. What the hell?
 Devotion forever, love for eternity, I do so swear, they said in
unison. Now it was getting a little weird for Madigan. They sat down
abruptly, returning to their meal like nothing had ever happened.
Madigan blinked at the sudden return to normalcy, if there really was
such a thing living with a bunch of angels.
 Um, Cross? What just happened? Madigan asked as Dex tossed
Michel the shaker across the table, showering them all with salt.
Cross s copper eyes lit on him.
 We were just saying it back, he supplied. He had this grin on his
face that said he was as happy as a clam. He forked a bite of pasta into
his mouth and continued to stare at Madigan. The half angel mentally
shrugged. It was the strangest  I love you that he d ever received,
that was for sure, but it warmed him that they returned the sentiment.
Even if it wasn t what he d expected.
 So Bren, what did the devil have to say? Madigan asked,
changing the subject. Bren finished chewing the piece of bread he d
shoved in his mouth and swallowed.
 He was a bit stranger than normal. He told me to kill Cross.
Cross choked on the water he d been drinking and started
coughing.  But I declined since we were getting along so well. Cross
glared at the other angel, and Madigan put a hand over his mouth
lightly to cover the laughter. Bren had done that on purpose.  Then he
prattled on about the weather for a bit. Said that it s fixing to get nasty
and that this was the  calm before the storm or something to that
effect. He told me to make sure Madigan was dressed warmly for
work Monday.
 So I guess that means I actually get to go? Madigan wondered.
He tried to keep the excitement out of his voice. He hadn t really
Angelic Ties 41
expected his angels to cave to his demands. He glanced at the heated
look that was exchanged between Cross and Bren and smiled. Well,
maybe his stubbornness had paid off.
 Yuri and I will check the bond tonight and finish our protection
sigils for the car and the house, and then, if everything is good, we
can go to your work on Monday, Cross allowed.
 I don t foresee any problems, babe, Yuri piped up.  So I d
count on getting out of the house.
Dex spoke,  I ll change the oil in your car and make sure your
fluid levels are good before we leave. You have no idea how common
it is for you mortals to die in car wrecks. Madigan blinked.
 You know how to change the oil in a car? He could change his
own oil as matter of fact, but he hadn t expected any of the angels to
have that particular skill. They hardly ever rode or operated vehicles
from what Madigan had gathered.
 I had a charge who was a mechanic at a garage in Pittsburg about
fifteen years ago. Good guy. I helped him out occasionally, Dex said.
 I could replace your whole transmission given enough parts. To be
honest, I ve been eyeing the vintage  65 Beetle in your mom s garage
since we got here.
Madigan laughed.  My mom has had that for years. It doesn t
even run. The next time she calls, I ll ask her if you can tinker on it
though, if you like. Dex nodded enthusiastically and started
devouring his salad.
 So have you told her about us yet? Yuri asked suddenly as they
all continued eating. Madigan stopped midchew. That was a random
question. The idea of telling his mom he was sleeping with and now
married to five other guys kind of gave him the hives. He wasn t sure
how she d react.
 Um, that you were all here, yeah, he said finally after he
swallowed. All of his angels had now stopped eating and were paying
way too close attention to their exchange.
42 Jana Downs
 You know that s not what I mean, Yuri said. His brown eyes
assessed the tension in Madigan s limbs.  Are you going to tell her
that we re your consorts or not?
Madigan shrugged and tried to act nonchalant.  Wasn t planning
on it, per se. You ve got to understand, it s a little unusual for
someone in my world to have one husband, forget five.
Yuri s eyes narrowed.  It s unusual in our world as well. That is
no excuse.
 Why are you picking a fight? Madigan asked.  You know, it s
usually Bren that starts in on me about something. The joke fell flat.
 Besides, you guys don t even have families to tell. Gabbing to your
friends about being married to five other guys is a little different than
telling your mom.
 We have families, Madigan, Cross corrected with a frown.  Just
because we re angels doesn t mean we don t. Every choir has groups
of angels that we were essentially raised with. I have three brothers
and two sisters who lived with me in a home in the Heavens until I
was chosen as a guardian. They re our brothers and sisters. Our
archangels are like our fathers, their brothers like our uncles. In
essence, our families are just greatly extended versions of yours.
 It s not the same, Madigan said stubbornly. Beside him, Michel
seemed to shrink into himself.
 Leave him alone, guys. If he s ashamed of us, well, it can t be
helped. Let s just enjoy what we have. Michel s words were a shock.
They were cold and bitter. Nothing like the normal Michel that
Madigan knew.
 It s not like that, Madigan said.
 Then what s it like? Michel snapped.  I thought you just needed
some time to build up the courage to tell your mom, but you were
never going to tell her, were you? [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]